Comments

rds: Leicas, sadly, have become bling, status symbols, Christmas gifts Mick Jagger gives his posse. *** You won't become Cartier-Bresson by getting a Leica, and photography is not and never has been about the tool. It's about being there and seeing. If C-B were around today he'd use an iPhone or a GoPro.

"If C-B were around today he'd use an iPhone or a GoPro."Not meaning to offend you, but that's the silliest thing I read in years.

ManuelVilardeMacedo: Even Leica has to survive in this business - hence the Panasonic clones and the T series. They need it in order to continue producing the most desirable cameras in the world, the M series rangefinder cameras, as well as the M-mount lenses, which quality is second to none.The fact that digital has democratised photography led to there being crowds who will never comprehend the 'M' concept; this explains the incessant Leica criticism we read here everytime Leica launches whatever product. The Leicas are not for those who buy cameras based on specifications.It's true Leica exposes themselves to ridicule every now and then with those Safari, Hermés, Titanium and Correspondent limited editions, but that's part of the business: as long as there are people willing to buy them, why not? It's a win-win deal.I don't have the money for a Leica; even if I had, I couldn't care less for rangefinder systems - but I respect the fact Leicas are aspirational products for discerning photographers.

(Cont.) Add to that Leica's prestige. If you look at all great photographers, chances are all of them used Leicas. From Cartier-Bresson to Sebastião Salgado through Robert Capa and W. Eugene Smith, the Leicas used to be workhorses that delivered the highest quality possible with the 135 format. In fact, Leica invented 135, thus, being the spiritual father of so-called 'full-frame'. This adds to Leica status as aspirational cameras. Their price incorporates this reputation.No wonder,then, that so many people will want a Leica at any given point of their lives.

Even Leica has to survive in this business - hence the Panasonic clones and the T series. They need it in order to continue producing the most desirable cameras in the world, the M series rangefinder cameras, as well as the M-mount lenses, which quality is second to none.The fact that digital has democratised photography led to there being crowds who will never comprehend the 'M' concept; this explains the incessant Leica criticism we read here everytime Leica launches whatever product. The Leicas are not for those who buy cameras based on specifications.It's true Leica exposes themselves to ridicule every now and then with those Safari, Hermés, Titanium and Correspondent limited editions, but that's part of the business: as long as there are people willing to buy them, why not? It's a win-win deal.I don't have the money for a Leica; even if I had, I couldn't care less for rangefinder systems - but I respect the fact Leicas are aspirational products for discerning photographers.

villagranvicent: I am surprised of the number of negative comments... Not enough considering the huge troll population. This is a forum to discuss gear and celebrate every new camera who looks and works like a cellphone, nobody seems to care about photography. Either you like this picture or not I bet a very few here would be able to do something remotely similar. Show some respect for the photographer!

I really think you should stop now. You're beginning to sound like a fool.

villagranvicent: I am surprised of the number of negative comments... Not enough considering the huge troll population. This is a forum to discuss gear and celebrate every new camera who looks and works like a cellphone, nobody seems to care about photography. Either you like this picture or not I bet a very few here would be able to do something remotely similar. Show some respect for the photographer!

Well, I have to admit your dogs are totally original... not to mention how interesting they are.Maybe it's time you stopped embarrassing yourself.

villagranvicent: I am surprised of the number of negative comments... Not enough considering the huge troll population. This is a forum to discuss gear and celebrate every new camera who looks and works like a cellphone, nobody seems to care about photography. Either you like this picture or not I bet a very few here would be able to do something remotely similar. Show some respect for the photographer!

villagranvicent: I am surprised of the number of negative comments... Not enough considering the huge troll population. This is a forum to discuss gear and celebrate every new camera who looks and works like a cellphone, nobody seems to care about photography. Either you like this picture or not I bet a very few here would be able to do something remotely similar. Show some respect for the photographer!

It's more like the photographer could show some respect for photography, actually.

Now that I come to think of it, it's a shame Aram Katchaturian never discovered the kazoo. Can you imagine how much broader the "Sabre Dance" would sound? It would add a further layer of interestingness to it.

I am aware the kazoo is regarded by many as a silly instrument, but there are wonderful compositions for it. I will never forget a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (directed by the late, magisterial L. O. Yewlott) of A. Fuqua Soll's "Kazoo Concert no. 32", with Ms Debbie Lee Tate as soloist. It brought tears to my eyes. Especially the Adagio: it was so soulful, so introspective. One of my dearest and most enduring musical memories.Of couse there are more prestigious instruments, like harmonica and banjo, but the kazoo is able to convey the deepest emotions. Some bigoted so-called specialists may despise it, but there's definitely a future for the kazoo in orchestral works. If Shostakovitch were alive today, I have no doubt he'd wholeheartedly endorse it.

Actually I prefer SLR viewfinders over rangefinders. Yet some enjoy the naturalness of a rangefinder. I can't criticize them, though I understand what they mean everytime I peep into a Leica M viewfinder. The nice thing about photography is that it's a broad church in which nobody has the right to impose their views over everybody else - even if some want to evangelize the rest of us over convenience and modernity.

"35 hours of shooting over the course of 15 days just to capture. A further two months were required in post-production to stitch the images together, creating a 46 terabyte finished product".All this to produce a deeply uninteresting picture.

Brendon, what made you assume anyone is afraid of technology?The telemetric rangefinder is by its own right a technological prowess. It's not like all technology has to be based on electronics.And yes - I still find it ludicrous that people should want to buy an expensive camera with such a sophisticated viewing system and use it with something that is a digital rendering of the subjects. I admit the EVF may be handy in some situations - but hey!, this camera has live view.